What We Believe

First United Methodist Church desires for all people to experience the love of Jesus Christ and to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. 
With John and Charles Wesley and the early Methodists as models of faith, we worship and glorify God by being present, offering our prayers,  sharing our gifts and giftedness, serving others,
and telling the story of God at work among us.

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The Methodist Church follows the teachings of John Wesley
who started the church in the 1700s. He said, “though we may not think alike, may we not all love alike?”

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We believe that God is one God in three persons: Father,  Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe that God the Father created all things, and that Jesus, the Son, was sent to die for our sins. The Holy Spirit continues God’s work in us, and is present with us at all times to comfort and guide us.  We celebrate the Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion.
Christ's Table is open to all who wish to receive the Bread and Cup.

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John Wesley believed that God’s grace is a wonderful gift
freely offered to humankind. We do not “earn” it.
God provides us with three means of experiencing God’s grace:

God’s prevenient (preparing) grace is with us from birth, preparing us for new life in Christ. “Prevenient” means “comes before.” Wesley believed that God places a little spark of divine grace within us that enables us to recognize and accept God’s justifying grace.

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Today some call God’s justifying (accepting) grace “conversion” or being “born again.” When we experience God’s justifying grace, we come into new life in Christ. Wesley believed that people are free to accept or reject God’s justifying grace.

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Wesley believed that, after we have accepted God’s grace, we are to move on in God’s sanctifying (sustaining) grace toward perfection. Wesley believed that we cannot claim God’s salvation and do nothing.
We are to participate in what Wesley called “the means of grace” and to continue to grow in Christian life.